fig leaf

Definition of fig leafnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fig leaf His leadership team began weighing whether to offer Democrats a stand-alone vote on the expiring Obamacare subsidies around a week after funding lapsed, something Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) rejected as a fig leaf. David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025 The fig leaf conditional nature of the requirement makes little difference. Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 Nothing passed, but Democrats at least got the fig leaf of a debate. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 30 Sep. 2025 In a time when the suffering and seemingly hopeless prospects of America’s poor are known to all who have eyes to see, the only fig leaf available to hide the obscenity of this bill is the old partisan charge of waste, fraud and abuse. Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for fig leaf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fig leaf
Noun
  • But when Microsoft built the Potemkin village that is Copilot and charged for it, well, no thank you.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Only Alain seems eager to ignore the disinformation and embrace this Potemkin village as the real deal (except when his eyes show a gathering concern).
    Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • This veteran droid is an even more Disneyfied version of VINCENT, who talks — for some reason — with the voice of legendary screen cowboy Slim Pickens.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Another over-screen defender could make sense as a priority for the Nuggets' backcourt.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Gurus can deliver millions of devoted followers as a consolidated vote bank, and in return politicians may provide a shield of patronage, according to Ronki Ram, a professor at the Institute for Development and Communication in Chandigarh, who has researched Singh and the Dera Sacha Sauda.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • In 1651, Thomas Hobbes used the Leviathan to represent a great monster made up of tiny individual elements (the shields).
    Big Think, Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Setting decoys, crafting a blind and getting ready to hunt together, Crowson and I were in our element.
    Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 18 Dec. 2025
  • Why don’t small-town police ever close their interrogation-room blinds?
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fig leaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fig%20leaf. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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